Aid in Adversity
by CanusFalcon
Summary: Voldemort's not defeated but the Battle of Hogwarts had happened. Somehow, he had survived the Avada Kadavra. The two parties had fled, one side weakened, the other side stronger and more ruthless than ever. Hades gets pissed at the amount of backlogged paperwork, and gets the other gods to help him with this. They send demigods into England, four joining the Order of the Phoenix.
1. Annoying Hades will give you Hades

**Summary**: Voldemort's not defeated but the Battle of Hogwarts had happened. Somehow, he had survived the Avada Kadavra. The two parties had fled, one side weakened, the other side stronger and more ruthless than ever. Hades gets pissed at the amount of backlogged paperwork, and gets the other gods to help him with this. They send demigods into England, four joining the Order of the Phoenix.

**Chapter 1: Annoying Hades will give you Hades.**

The lights dimmed and the dust settled.

Wizards and witches recoiled in shock as Voldemort got up slowly from the ground, the slits of his eyes narrowed dangerously at Harry Potter. It wasn't possible-he shouldn't have survived the killing curse. But impossibilities happened; Voldemort _did_ manage to make himself immortal for the past few decades already.

He dusted his tattered robes slowly, and frowned as he rubbed the spot that his rebounded spell had hit. "Potter," Voldemort hissed. "You foolish, foolish boy. Did you actually _think_ that you could've defeated me? Did you truly think that I was a fool to not realize that you were destroying my Horcruxes? I'll admit, I had not known that you were one. But no matter, we would end this now."

Harry stared at Voldemort, bewildered. He couldn't believe that Voldemort was still standing there, alive. He was sure he had destroyed all the Horcruxes, even if one of them _was_ himself. Even if he hadn't, the last time the killing spell had rebounded Voldemort had been so greatly weakened that he couldn't exist as something finite and solid.

Before he knew what he was saying, he screamed, "Retreat! Get out of here!"

It wasn't the most Gryffindor act he ever did, but at times like this, he had to turn to his Slytherin side and trust his self-preservation instincts. And his instincts told him to flee, lest fall by the hand of a vengeful and murderous psychopath.

No one needed more encouragement. Chaos erupted as people began to scream, grab those that they knew and apparated with loud cracks and disappeared from the ruins of the Great Hall.

The Death Eaters stayed-with the exception of the Malfoy's; Narcissa Malfoy having lied to their Dark Lord just a moment ago.

Even he, the Chosen One, had to flee. He couldn't stay-it was suicide. Voldemort wouldn't, couldn't die. Something was wrong, and he knew it. He didn't know what made Voldemort immune to the killing curse, but he wasn't going to stay and wait to see if he had the same immunity as well. He didn't exactly remember being blessed with immortality in his entire life before, even if he did survive two killing curses.

But he doubted he'd be so lucky to have his mother's protection, or a fragment of Voldemort's soul embedded inside him. Oh the irony of it-Voldemort had saved him from Voldemort-just plain nasty business.

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"HECATE!" Hades roared, jumping to his feet as he threw a stack of papers to the side. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPLAIN THIS?"

Hecate appeared in a swirl of colored light and shadows, her usually white face paler than ever. "You called, Lord Hades?"

"YES! WOULD YOU TELL ME WHO IN THE WORLD TOM MARVOLLO RIDDLE IS? HE'S GOT TONNES OF PAPERWORK! BY TONNES, I DO MEAN TONNES," Hades continued yelling. When he stopped, he breathed heavily as he glared at Hecate, fury burning in the dark pits of his eyes.

In the throne next to Hades', Persephone twirled a flower in her hand nervously.

Hecate squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she breathed. "I'm sorry, Lord Hades. It seems as if one of the descendants of my… failed products… had created something to split his soul such that he wouldn't die immediately. He had then revived himself and continued his mass murders… whichever."

"That much I do know. But how did he manage to survive? He should've been greatly weakened," Hades growled.

"I'm already having Exitara look into it. She'll succeed in finding out the reason soon enough. I suspect that he… was too flawed a container of magic to die of magical means. I believe he would die quickly enough if Celestial Bronze pierced him though," Hecate bowed, her voice quivering slightly.

"Explain," Hades returned to his throne and sat down. Persephone sighed in relief.

"You remember that I've always been experimenting with humans to contain magical essences, do you? Yes, you do. In Europe, I've messed with them the most-their Dark Ages was an especially good time to kidnap young children and test their magical capacities. Unlike my children, these humans were simply containers of magic, they need something else to utilize that power. Wands come in handy. But you also remember that my children use different magic from those containers.

"Anyway, those that were good containers survived, and continued the wizarding lines. However, even those good containers had flaws, and I had to keep creating more, in hopes of finding a perfect companion for myself, living in the Underworld does get lonely at times, you know," Hecate remarked dryly.

"It has its perks," Persephone retorted, speaking for the first time since Hecate's arrival.

"It does, I can hide down here," Hecate agreed. "But never mind that, those flawed containers still contained a good amount of magic to do things normal mortals can't, they came to be known as witches and wizards. And you know, I did succeed in the end, I've got Exitara. She's the only perfect container, the one who lives with me forever. She's a perfect magic being. The others are still…humans that contain magic."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Then those wizards came up with the idea of splitting their souls-nasty business that is," Hades made a sound of agreement to that. "Horcruxes, they called it. They couldn't die unless all the fragments of their soul had been destroyed-more precisely, cast into the Underworld properly. I expect you've seen a few pieces of Riddle's soul in the Underworld as of late?"

"Obviously. Those fragments infuriate the Judges. They've collected them and caged them outside the Judgment Pavilion, but fragments can't exactly be judged if the main part of the animus is still stuck elsewhere," Hades grumbled. "Even that Shakespeare was astounded by the imaginations of your little creations."

"That's hardly relevant though," Hecate resumed once more. "The point is, Voldemort can still die, even if he _had_ split his soul once more. No one knows how his soul can still be broken up, but that damaged the magic in him greatly. A perk for him is that magic can't kill him since he's supposed have ceased to exist after his soul broke up to such an extent. I don't think there's a downside for him, other than the fact you'll have him suffer horribly in death."

"True, that. Your… explanation sounds reasonable and truthful enough," Hades sighed wearily before his eyes flashed with sudden anger. "Riddle must pay for getting so much paperwork into my hands. That little flaw must be fixed. And you're going to be in charge of finding a solution."

"Me?" Hecate squeaked.

"Yes, you," Hades snapped. "Exitara can help you." Hades clapped his hands and a youthful looking girl appeared, in a manner not unlike Hecate's. She looked all too young to have white hair. Her eyes were the strangest shade of purple, somewhat like her lady's.

"Lord Hades," she bowed deeply. "What can the humble Exitara do for you?"

Hades and Persephone both rolled their eyes. "We know you're cocky as hell. You probably know what my husband has just ordered your mistress to do. I've heard you have this list of tasks Hecate and you must do together in your head," Persephone nodded at Exitara.

Exitara tilted her head to the side, "I do know. But I can't really skip the formalities with the King and Queen of the Underworld. I might be immortal even though I believe my animus to be in the Isles of Blest, but I don't appreciate being yelled at by Hades. As for the solution, you could ask the other gods for help."

"Explain," Hades frowned. "But the gods aren't supposed to meddle in mortal affairs."

"Neither am I," Exitara snapped. "But I could act as a messenger, as I have for many years, unless your memory doesn't serve you all that well anymore. I could tell the gods that some insolent descendant of Hecate's experiments had defied Ancient Laws. Then send demigods to settle it. Your own son might need to play a part in this. He'll be good at the job."

"Nico? You would send Nico?" Hades snarled.

"Oh, so protective," Exitara dismissed Hades easily. "Lady Hecate can simply give the demigods wands so that they could protect themselves, and pass off as ordinary witch and wizards. Then they can join those witch and wizards in trying to kill that imprudent man. I've even consulted an Oracle about this."

The eyes of the three gods narrowed at her, before Hecate finally spoke. "You've thought a lot about this, haven't you."

"Of course I had. I don't want another immortal container, I'd rather be the only one," Exitara sniffed in disdain. "And I'm perfect, don't forget that. I'll tell the gods about my idea now, if you wish. Lord Hades, you'll let that idiotic, pathetic, sorry excuse of a container remember what happens when one annoys you, won't you?"

Hades nodded grimly as his eyes flashed angrily once more. "I'll make that man sorry that Merope Gaunt ever gave birth to him. He'll understand the true wrath of Hades."

Exitara cackled, "Oh, you so will. Give him Hades, my dear Lord Hades. I see you've been studying his papers carefully though to know who his mother is. I'll go inform the gods about your little problem right now." She vanished in a similar swirl of light and shadows, leaving Hades' hand hanging in the air, which had been ready to blast a curse at her.

"Exitara 432, Hades 431," Persephone muttered.

"Oh please, can't you give your husband a few more points?" Hades exclaimed in exasperation.

Persephone smiled wryly, "No. My dear husband, I believe that you're losing your touch with that girl. She's beat you once more."

"I'll get her," Hades grumbled mutinously.

"I have no doubt that you will. Just remember, no cheating," Persephone and Hecate said that at the same time, repeating the same line for the 400th time. Hades had cheated in round 463.

**A/N: Hello everyone, this is CanusFalcon-writing for the first time on Fanfiction. I've written K-pop fanfics… but they don't really count here. It's too fluffy over there. I've taken the liberty of making this sorta AU so Voldemort doesn't die immediately. And since my fav. HP character is Draco Malfoy, he needs some sort of redemption. **

**Thanks for reading the first chapter, (I don't update too regularly, I've got a lot of schoolwork) Do review if you want to-I know I'd appreciate that very much. **


	2. Nico receives his wand

**Chapter 2: Nico receives his wand**

The demigods were in match of Capture the Flag-against the Romans. The air was high with tension-this was the first match against the Romans. The Greeks couldn't bear to lose against them, nor would the Romans stand to lose against the Greeks.

Nico di Angelo had been elected as one of the flag's guards. He cleverly concealed himself within the shadows, waiting for his prey. Of course, those that tried to capture the flag would never know that Nico was perched on the tree above them, swathed in dark shadows. Nico's hand held a firm grip on his Stygian Iron sword, which camouflaged itself perfectly with its dark surroundings, just as he liked it.

The other guard was Percy Jackson. Sure, the river wasn't anywhere near him right now, but he wouldn't lose in a one-on-one against any Roman. Well, maybe he might have a tougher time battling Jason, but he was confident that he could best him… eventually. That was if Jason didn't bring someone else along. Thank the gods that there weren't any tunnels around here for Hazel to locate and use.

Percy stood, his senses alert, his stance defensive. He was ready to fight any Roman off if the need arose. At the moment, the Romans were still stuck somewhere, perhaps at the creek-being ambushed by whatever Annabeth had cooked up.

Annabeth had set up line after line of tripwire, which would ensnare the unsuspecting Roman. After the tripwire was triggered, tranquilizer darts would be let lose, subsequently stunning the poor Roman who had the misfortune of stumbling into the traps that lay all around the Greek's side of the boundary line.

They didn't even have to put the Romans into their jails-they would be useless to the Roman side for the next hour or so. The tranquilizers inside those darts were brewed by the Demeter Cabin; and their mother had helped.

They used the ingredients of the highest potency possible-while ensuring the tranquilized demigod wouldn't die; he'd not be in action for quite some time. Nothing would be able to rouse him from his unconscious state unless given an antidote. And the antidotes were kept by Katie Gardner, who wasn't about to give them up to any Roman.

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Percy's eyes narrowed as he trained my eyes at the boundaries of the clearing. He's heard something, and he knew just what it might be. Obviously, it wasn't a lost chicken wandering around in the forest. And the nymphs always made themselves scarce whenever they were playing the game.

He could hear it again, that faint rustling. He crouched slightly and was gripping Riptide tightly, ready to uncap it at a moment's notice. Were the Romans that bad at stealth? Maybe. Their armor was really too heavy to move quietly through the shrubbery.

His eyes catch a flash of sandy blonde hair, and his grip on Riptide tightened further. Jason. Damn it, why was it Jason? He frowned slightly.

Knowing Jason, he probably brought a companion or two. Maybe Hazel, Frank or Reyna would be in the equation. That would be a little cumbersome.

Unfortunately, Percy didn't have Piper with him to charmspeak her boyfriend into surrendering and walking away. He suspected Piper purposefully didn't volunteer for guard duty, knowing that Jason was most likely one of the Romans who'd make it to the Flag. Her being present would give the Greeks an unfair advantage-Jason would never hurt Piper.

Percy never had such qualms when he fought Annabeth though, she would thrash him outright if she knew he was going soft on her. She hated the thought of her being weaker than anyone, even if he really was a better swordsman that she was. But she had no kelp in her brains, definitely.

He didn't allow himself to be distracted by thoughts of his gorgeous girlfriend though. At that moment, Jason burst from the bushes. He wield his gladius with confidence as he threw a bolt of lightning at Percy, who sidestepped it easily. The lightning struck the bushes behind them, bursting the bush into flames.

Well, at least the lightning didn't hit Nico. Percy was sure Nico was still somewhere around here-he just didn't know where his cousin hid. He was glad that when he met Nico, Nico didn't enjoy playing hide-and-seek anymore. He wasn't sure if he would ever win a game of hide-and-seek against the boy who could control shadows.

Percy uncapped Riptide as he waited for Jason to charge him. Jason's Roman nature never allowed him to wait too long before charging into battle. Percy supposed he was once rather like Jason-charging recklessly into a fight. But at 17, he's learnt to not do that. That would be plain stupid.

It was rather idiotic to risk your life simply because you couldn't wait. Although he wasn't aiming to kill Jason in the current situation, he certainly wasn't planning to go easy on him. He met Jason's strike with Riptide, easily blocking it.

He took advantage of the time that Jason needed to steady himself-the impact of his gladius clashing against Riptide after his charge was causing him to lose his balance. Percy quickly flicked the gladius out of Jason's hands. As Jason tried fumbling to retrieve his sword, Percy slammed Riptide against the back of Jason's head, knocking the blonde out cold immediately.

Well, that was almost too easy. He supposed that going to Tartarus did have that slight merit. Sure, it was hell down there, but he survived it, gaining a ton of nightmares in the process. But he had gotten Annabeth out, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Tartarus was also a great place to train for sword-fighting. Those life and death situations did teach him to wield a blade with more skill. His strikes were now more precise-you had to be precise in Tartarus. One careless swing of the sword could have you end up with a one way ticket to the Judgment Pavilion. As much as Hades was thankful to him for giving him a throne on Olympus, he doubted that Hades could bring him back to life again.

Percy waited, Jason would definitely have reinforcements. There was no doubt about that.

He didn't have to wait long though, he saw Hazel dart out of the bushes, flanked by a volley of arrows. He knew that Frank was the one holding the bow, and he knew he had to be careful. Frank could shoot a mean bull's-eye. Hazel's spatha glimmered faintly in the darkness, and Percy eyed it carefully as she advanced, far more cautious than Jason had been.

Well, at least she could learn fast. Nico's older half-sister was way smarter than Jason was, even if Jason was the reinstated Praetor of New Rome.

Then Hazel yelled as she charged Percy. On a second thought, maybe she hadn't learnt much at all. At that moment, Percy saw an eagle saw to the sky, heading straight for the flag. He cursed. Frank turned himself into an eagle. He cursed himself for forgetting that.

No matter, he'll face Hazel first. Hopefully, Nico would deal with Frank. Percy focused his attention on Hazel and met her strike with Riptide. Unlike with Jason, he couldn't disarm the girl immediately. She might've charged, but she did make some leeway for the shock of the impact that would sustain at having her spatha clashing against Riptide.

Percy retracted his earlier thought, and was beginning to grudgingly acknowledge that she did learn more quickly than Jason. He swung Riptide and it clanged against the spatha loudly, but she held on tightly as she returned the strike. Percy allowed it to graze his shoulders. It wasn't something a little nectar or ambrosia couldn't heal. He took that opportunity to lash at Hazel once more, his strikes quick, but nowhere near lethal.

He was careful with the strikes; Nico was watching and he most definitely did not want his sister anywhere near death again. Percy didn't want to hurt Hazel too badly either. He just wanted to wind her so he could knock her unconscious. Damn Hazel who wore a helmet. He'd have to hit her head really hard for her to be knocked out cold.

He parried her return strike once more and pressed his advantage. He pushed Hazel to the ground and she fell with a grunt. She was glaring at him, but yelped in surprise and pain as Percy poked her hand with Riptide, causing her to drop the spatha onto the ground. Percy apologized and slammed the butt of Riptide against Hazel's head.

He turned to face the Flag. The eagle was stuck onto the ground by a mound of shadows. Percy smirked; Frank had been too easily subdued, too bad. Nico was still nowhere in sight even if he did trap Frank under those shadows.

Frank changed back into his human form and yelled, "Hey, get me out of this! Nico!"

Nico didn't give a reply. Percy took that opportunity to leap at Frank and have Riptide do the work. Frank slumped face-flat and unconscious onto the ground.

"Percy, they'll wake up cursing you for giving them major headaches you know," Nico said finally, his voice tinged with amusement. He leapt down from his hiding spot, and Percy realizes that Nico had been hiding in the tree all this while.

"So you've been hiding up there all along?" Percy was a little amazed that he hadn't guessed Nico chose to hide in a place with an excellent vantage point. "And I'd prefer them out cold instead of awake and kicking."

"I'm a few generations older than you are, but I'm pretty sure the phrase is 'alive and kicking'. And obviously you couldn't guess where I was hiding. Only Annabeth would. Speaking of Annabeth, do you think they've gotten to the Flag by now?"

"Maybe. Who do you think is guarding their Flag?"

"Since Reyna isn't anywhere in the vicinity, I'd say she's one of those guarding the Roman flag. She'd probably have another Centurion with her," Nico deduced. "Let's just sit back and relax, shall we? No one else could cause us too much trouble anymore."

Percy chuckled as he agreed. He sat down 10 yards away from Nico-both of them were still flanking a side of the flag. "Do you think those tripwires would work against the hunters?"

Nico shook his head, "Nope. They're too careful to fall into such an amateur-ish trap. The Romans got too confident, and they aren't a careful bunch. Please, the hunters could probably sense an arrow a mile away. And despite their clothes being all flashy and silver, they can hide themselves pretty well," Nico pointed out in a slightly disgruntled manner.

"You're smarter than what Annabeth gives you credit for," Percy laughed.

"Your girlfriend wouldn't give anyone such high credit. The only proper compliment regarding brains I've ever heard her give was to her mother. Although she might be a proud and vengeful goddess, sorry Athena, she's really clever," Nico shrugged. "And I think we might be winning. Do you hear that?"

They fell silent for a moment and Percy concentrated. He picked up a few muffled yells and grunts. Then he heard the water splashing and a triumphant scream from Leo.

"Valdez got through the creek," Percy announced.

"Good for him. He'll get the recognition he so craves," Nico smiled. "Come on then, we've won. Let's get back." Nico and Percy got to their feet.

"No. You two freeze right there," a new voice called out. The voice was clear, but chilly.

A faint hue of light appeared as shadows rose from the ground before dissolving slowly to the ground. A figure stepped forward as the shadows gradually diminished. Her skin was pearly white and her purple eyes regarded the two demigods coldly. Her long white hair hung straight, reaching past her waist. An elaborate silver chained headband was wrapped on her hair, the center of that headband being a Byzantium purple gem. She was clad in a grey tunic with a black collar. All in all, her refined face structure made her look haughty and regal, even if she didn't look older than eighteen.

Percy was sure that Leo would call her hot, even if it would offend this person in front of them. Jason had told Percy about Leo calling Khione hot while they were off trying to rescue Juno.

"Exitara?" Nico gasped in surprise. "You've come out of the underworld?"

"Nico di Angelo," she greeted, acknowledging him. "I presume that the Greeks have won the game? You better have."

Nico nodded and dipped his head at the person Nico called 'Exitara.'

"Good, then you won't disappoint Lord Hades. Lady Persephone has been rooting for the Greeks, just a side message that she wanted me to pass to you. She's making an effort to be nice to you," Exitara intoned in the same, cool voice. "But forgive me, where are my manners? I'm Exitara, Hecate's… right-hand lady. And you're Perseus Jackson."

"Erm, that's right," Percy nodded, still rather confused at the appearance of Hecate's 'right-hand lady'.

"Nico, you remember Riddle?" At Nico's annoyed growl, Exitara nodded. "Well, it seems that he hasn't died by magic. He's supposed to die by magic, even if he was a problematic container of it. I've been researching that Riddle for a while now, and you need to get to England. You'll be briefed with the details later, but for now, find a way to keep Draco Malfoy alive."

"Malfoy?" Nico was slightly confused at the mention of that name. Percy was utterly and hopelessly lost. "So, that moldy nutcase won't die? Ass. He's been giving father and me too much trouble. The contradicting paperwork sent in is terrible."

"That's why I'm here," Exitara grumbled. "Hades has been in the foulest of moods for days. Hecate's at a loss, but I'll give you a riddle to solve."

"That was a bad pun, Lady Exitara," Nico snapped. "Just get to it."

Exitara shrugged, suddenly an entirely different person entirely to Percy. The waves of chilliness washed away from her as she took on the new persona. "Fine, be that way. Just save Malfoy. He'll need convincing to kill his mother. Of course, she wouldn't really be dead. His father and mother would be… alive enough. But you'll have to get him to do the deed. He needs to be alive for this."

"Hold up, what's happening!" Percy exclaimed, exasperated. He couldn't stand not being in the know for too long. They seemed to be having a conversation of something he didn't know at all.

"We'll fill you in later, Jackson," Exitara snapped. "For now, time is running out. Nico, you have to get to the Malfoy's. Find a way to convince Draco that he has to live; he's crucial in finding the location of the last Horcrux. I'll give you a copy of the… prophecy I've got."

"Knowing you, it's not exactly a prophecy. It's more likely a transcript of one," Nico muttered under his breath. "But I'll go and save that Draco guy. Father has approved of this, hasn't he?"

"Oh yes. All the gods have agreed to interfere indirectly in this. Your moldy nutcase has transgressed too many of the Ancient Laws; they're furious about this. You've no idea how bad your father's temper had been for the past few hours. Demeter even allowed Persephone to get into the Underworld to calm Hades down, it was that bad… It's May 4th, time is running out. Voldemort might not hesitate to kill Draco Malfoy on sight now."

Nico breathed heavily. "Alright then, I'll go. But you'll be in contact with me to tell me who's going to join me in Britain, won't you?"

Exitara nodded. "I'll bring you to Malfoy soon. Jackson, I'm sure you're dying to know the details, but be patient. Before I forget, Hecate's granted you a wand. You'll be able to use… the magic that's used by those wizards in Britain." Exitara pulled out a black stick, seemingly from thin air and she handed it to Nico.

Nico spun the wand around, fascinated. It was black, the only stygian iron wand in the entire world. It had rather elaborate carvings on it, and bore the symbol of Hades at one end of the wand.

"It's made of Stygian Iron, as you can tell, and it's unyielding. The core… well… I plucked off the tips from the wings of Alecto, Magaera and Tisiphone. The wand will only serve you; it won't work for anyone else. Anyone who tries to steal it would just suffer a visit from the Furies; they'd know where you are at all times. It's a safety precaution your father's taking," Exitara explained. "And Jackson, you're looking at a wand right now."

Percy was speechless as he stared at it. Nico's eyes were flashing like a gleeful child, the dark pits illuminated with a childish sort of joy. "Lumos," he whispered. A burst of light shone forth from the tip of the wand, and Nico whooped in delight.

"This is seriously… cool. Whatever spell I need, it'll just come to me then?" Nico inquired as he turned his wand around.

"I believe so. It contains some of my magic."

Nico's laughter tinkled with his exultation at being gifted with a wand. "I've always wanted one of these things ever since I saw you visit father. Who won the last round anyway?"

A smile played on Exitara's lips. "I did, of course. He's fuming about it, so don't mention me to him if he visits you in his dreams."


	3. Preparing for England

**Chapter 3: Preparing for England**

**A/N: Okay, I'll apologize about this chapter in advance (the general feeling is that this chapter wasn't the best written chapter in the history of fanfiction) And it's probably long and draggy. But I'll probably speed things up soon (so stay with me, yes?) And thanks to all for following, favourite-ing and reviewing! **

Percy watches dumbly as Nico and Exitara disappeared into the shadows. Gods, what was happening? He stares at the spot that Nico had been standing just seconds ago, holding that black Stygian Iron stick-a wand.

He wasn't even sure why he was stunned. Sure, it was boggling his mind to wrap it around the fact that Nico now had a wand, and could make light appear from it by saying the word 'Lumos', but a guy that wouldn't die? That wasn't supposed to happen, was it? Who was the 'moldy nutcase' anyway? Percy didn't know, but Hades being mad was an affirmative.

The Lord of the Dead couldn't stand anyone who tried to escape death-unless it was a Daedalus that could help ease traffic congestion in the Underworld. Somehow, Percy doubted that this 'moldy nutcase' would be any help to the traffic conditions in the Underworld. In fact, he would probably infuriate Hades more… Exitara and Nico said something about 'paperwork'. Hades hated backlogged or corrupted paperwork. And judging by what they both said, the paperwork that 'moldy nutcase' had fulfilled both of the factors for Hades to hate the guy.

Percy didn't feel sorry for him though, whatever he had done, he would have rightfully incurred Hades' wrath. Other than the one time that Hades tricked Nico to get him into the Underworld in a (failed) attempt to kill him, the Lord of the Underworld had his merits. In all, Hades was a fair god who played by the rules. He didn't even break the oath the Big Three had sworn since technically, Nico was born before WWII.

Seconds later, Exitara appeared before him again. "Percy Jackson, I suppose you'll be looking for answers now?"

"Obviously," Percy muttered. "You just took my cousin and disappeared!"

"Of course you have questions," Exitara ignored his short outburst, not even the least bit perturbed by it. "Questions can come later though. Take my hand. I'll bring you to your companions for the quest."

"Quest, this is a quest?" He spluttered. _Oi, Percy. Stop being such an un-eloquent seaweed-brain. It's not exactly a great thing to do right now, especially in front of this… What was she anyway? _He could tell that she wasn't a god-she didn't have the same aura of power wrapping around her. She had another feel to her though; it was a powerful feeling, but it altogether unlike a god's.

He regained his composure, "One question first, and you're answering this. Who are you?"

"You already know who I am; I'm Hecate's right hand lady. But I suppose you don't really mean that," Exitara said easily. "You're meaning to ask me what kind of being I am, aren't you? Well I suppose a simplified version of what I am is that I'm a perfect vessel for magic. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'm just a manifestation of magic; the human in me is barely existent anymore. I only take up a human form since I had once been human… in the early 11th century or so. I existed during the time Merlin was alive. And I'll help your brain understand this little technicality-I'm immortal."

Percy didn't say anything, but nodded as he took her hand. He noticed that she seemed rather smug when she said she was immortal. There must be something that she wasn't including in her little introduction of herself.

A split second later, he felt this strange lurch in his stomach as magic surged through him made him want to throw up. Percy closed his eyes and desperately waited for the moment to pass as quickly as it was humanely possible. Moments later, he felt the contents in his stomach settling and that odd sensation passing. He opened his eyes and found himself in his cabin.

"Was that so bad?" Exitara asked.

Percy didn't trust his voice to speak-he still felt a little queasy as he nodded.

Her expression was unreadable as she replied, "Then get used to it, this magic. I've imparted some of my magic in you, as I did Nico when I brought him to England. . The feeling will be worse when we travel a longer distance. Hence, you better not throw up if I bring you to England. You'll get your wand later, after I fetch your companions."

Once again, Exitara disappeared from his sight in those weird swirls of light and shadows. Percy sat down heavily on his bed. This was a little much to digest. He closed his eyes as he waited. For the third time that night, she appeared in front of him in the same manner, holding onto two other protesting demigods.

"What the, who're you? You white haired witch let me go!" Annabeth.

"Lady Exitara? Aren't you supposed to not ever leave the Underworld?" Thalia.

"Who in Hades is Exitara?" Annabeth demanded.

"Hecate's lady!" Thalia returned. "Exitara, what in the world do you want from me?"

Then, they both seemed to notice where they were. "Percy?" Annabeth finally said. "Do you know what is happening right now?"

"Kelp head won't know anything," Thalia muttered.

Percy couldn't even summon the energy to offer a retort to Thalia. His brain was really too full of seaweed at the present moment to be thinking anything coherent.

"Girls, please calm down. I'm sorry you'll have to miss the celebrations, but that Leo Valdez would be happy to bask in his newfound glory," Exitara said impatiently. "Sit down now. We won't be interrupted in here. We'll need to privacy to explain the situation to you."

They sighed, but obligated and sat down. Annabeth's grey eyes were darting nervously around, as if she was still worried that Exitara was a threat. Maybe she was, but Percy wouldn't know. Though, if Exitara was evil, he probably had no chance against her in a fight. Magic was probably accurate and deadly from a long range. Percy didn't do archery to attack her from afar.

"Now, what I'm going to say to you is… a watered down version, as instructed by the gods. The gods, which includes Poseidon, Artemis, Athena and that Wine-blockhead, have already approved of this mission, so don't use their names to try defying my instructions. You don't have to follow them particularly stringently, but they'll serve as a wonderful guideline on your mission.

"As Percy might've picked up earlier, there are witches and wizards all around the world. In Britain, there's around 600 of them. Witches and wizards of today are mere failures of the experiments Hecate had conducted; they remained human and rather mortal. Hecate isn't conducting anymore experiments, but her residual magic still lingers in Europe, hence the creation of new witch and wizards that weren't the descendants of proper experiments. The wizarding world calls them Muggle-borns. In their world, Muggles refer to non-magical people.

"Anyway, those Muggle-borns are being persecuted by Nico's moldy face. A… extremely flawed and problematic magical vessel as of late; he's split his soul so many times, and while he isn't going to be able to die with those fragments in the Mortal-world, he doesn't have much of a heart left, to put it that way. He's a ruthless killer really. Hades has promised the worst punishments for Voldemort when he reaches the Underworld.

"Then there's these three that have destroyed 7 pieces of the soul fragments, these Horcruxes. But Voldemort has one more Horcrux somewhere, and I don't even know what it is. That'd be Nico's job; he'd have to find out what the last Horcrux is, through Draco Malfoy. Backtracking a bit, Voldemort's followers are known as Death Eaters, funny name, I know. Anyway, the Malfoy family were once loyal Death Eaters, but at the last minute in the Battle of Hogwarts, they turned and helped this wizard, Harry Potter, survive. Harry Potter's one of the three Horcrux-hunters, just to put it that way.

"It's a bunch of complicating facts, I know. But please, sit and continue listening. I promise this little background information won't last forever. Nico's going to have to work out a way to keep Draco alive and by Voldemort's side, gaining his trust. It's the only way he might be able to discover the last Horcrux and finally banish Voldemort properly into the Underworld. The other two Horcrux-hunters are Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Another little piece of information you should know is that you'll be part of their little organization; The Order of the Phoenix."

She finally stopped.

The gears in Percy's brain were turning furiously and rapidly, trying to not let the information overwhelm him. Okay, Death Eater _was _a funny name-he wondered what Nico or maybe Hades made of it. The fact that a whole other world with its own psychopath killer was out there was strange, but nothing he couldn't handle, right?

But why in the world was he supposed to be involved? Couldn't he _finally _get a break after the Giant War? His life completely sucked and he sighed heavily.

The only thing was, Percy _did_ have a complex to do the right thing. He sighed again as he tightened his fists. He seemed to be doing a lot of sighing in one night.

"So, Lady Exitara," Percy found his voice before the other two girls did. "What are we supposed to do?" Damn his complexes. He couldn't very well let Nico go into England alone, facing a bunch of people who might want to eat the Son of the Death Lord. He really needed to ask Nico what he felt about the name 'Death Eater'.

Exitara beamed at him, clapping her hands. "Oh, you agreed to do this so quickly, lovely. Annabeth dear, do me a favor and never let your boyfriend go. He's such a wonderful demigod, agreeing to help this poor magic servant so quickly."

Percy glared at her. Exitara really was strange; she could be Hermes-the-messenger one second, all practical, then simpering Aphrodite the next. Magic must've seriously addled her brain, even if she really was a perfect container of it, perfect enough to be a manifestation of it and become immortal. Was this what she was so smug about? Maybe she was the only immortal… magical-vessel out there. He'd probably ask her about this some other time.

"Stop glaring, Jackson. I'm just paying you a compliment. Back to business though, I _am_ glad you asked what you should be doing. Here, the transcript. I've given a copy to Nico so he could read it. So what do you think about this?" She handed the three of them a paper as they huddled together, trying to decipher the alphabets.

"Erm," Thalia began. "We're dyslexic, and the words are tiny."

Exitara frowned at that. "But Percy can read it, can't you? You've received some of my magic already."

Percy mirrored Exitara's frown, but he stared intently at the paper anyway. Then, the magic kicked in and the effects of his dyslexia were vanquished-the words actually looked like proper words that he could read.

He cleared his throat nervously as he began reading the fine black, inky print on the parchment. He noticed that each line ended with a full-stop.

"The wizarding world tethers on the edge of destruction and death. Innocents manipulated, innocents perished. He who did not die shall be defeated with the aid of the children of the gods. He shall not die unless the child of death interferes. The child of death will not succeed without the turncoat's assistance. "

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Exitara laughed. "Perfect reading Jackson, if I was your English teacher, I'd give you an 7 out of 10, for perfect enunciation, pacing and rhythm but a lack of emotion. Do you understand this?"

"You're a little like Mars, you know, giving a prophecy without rhymes," Percy complained.

"Now, Mars wouldn't appreciate that. He hates my guts, don't ask me why. Directness is the key to everything, never speak in riddles. On a side note, Voldemort's actual last name had been Riddle, so one more reason for me to not speak in riddles. I can't stand someone who tries to make himself immortal through the use of magic. It would destroy the magic within even more," Exitara shrugged. "But I suppose you can understand that the demigods are essential to Voldemort's death, right? And clearly, Nico shall be the one with the turncoat."

"So we won't face any surprises?" Annabeth interjected, her voice filled with disbelief. "That sounds too good to be true."

"Define surprises," Exitara returned. "I suppose you might face a few setbacks and difficulties, but nothing you can't handle. I'll have to trust that your three won't screw up on the side with Harry Potter. I'll have you know that Harry Potter has been ordained by the Fates to be the one to kill Voldemort. Percy, don't play the hero."

"I remember hearing that being said just two years ago," Percy muttered. "Slightly before my sixteenth birthday."

"Well, you won't even have to consult Rachel about this anymore. I've given you a prophecy."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "That's not a prophecy and you know it. I'll even bet my bow that you're omitting some information from us."

"Do I get my wand now?" Percy asked suddenly, stopping Exitara from giving her indignant retort. He was actually really rather curious about this 'wand' thing. Something that could astound Nico must've been a truly new experience.

"Fine," Exitara muttered. "You'll promise to go on the quest, right? If you need reinforcements, please do you a drachma to call me. Artemis has given me permission to utilize her Hunters for the sake of the quest. I hope you won't need an army though; I'll have to fill in _more_ paperwork to submit to some… authorities." She pulled three wands out of the air.

"Percy Jackson's wand; made of white pine," she handed it to him. "All the gods seem to have qualms about your safety though, since they had the core made of something that they could always track. Poseidon has introduced corals, a mermaid's hair, and the end of his Trident into it. Just a little bit of the Trident though. He does care about you, even if he didn't maintain too much contact with you during the Giant War. Like Nico's, it's an unyielding wand."

Percy looked at the piece of wood carefully-it was adorned with patterns of sea waves, providing the traction for Percy to maintain a perfect grip on the 13 inch wand. The moment his fingers touched the wand, he felt a surge through him-a pleasant surge of magic. He didn't try waving it around though, who knew what a wand could do.

"Annabeth's is made of olive wood, as insisted by Athena. The owl symbol has also been prescribed by her, bless Athena. Your mother even infused the wand with her own feather. It's a wand that's really rather stable actually. And Thalia's is made of oak and cypress… I have no idea how I managed to combine two of the woods into one wand. It took me some time, you know. Then there's this thing about its core… Artemis got one of the wolves to contribute a hair, a little moonstone, and your father left… a manifestation of lightning inside, hence this weird glow to it. It's a rather sprightly wand, to say the least."

The two girls took their wands and twirled it around before Exitara said warningly, "Be careful about them. You might let loose something you don't want to."

"Yes madam," They answered cheekily, grinning broadly. Percy smiled too, a wand was seriously cool.

"One more thing you should know-when you're in England-do not use the word 'Voldemort'. They've placed a taboo on it; anyone who uses the name will have their locations revealed, and any concealment charms removed. I'll have to give you a crash course on magic later, I suppose," She adds in an absentminded manner. "You'll need the lessons; Nico had already undergone them previously. I'm one of the reasons he enjoys being in the Underworld-watching me do magic and learning it at the same time."

Percy nodded in an appreciative manner, "I guess we'll need to be helped with magic… When do we start?"

"Right now, sorry that you _are_ missing the celebrations for Capture the Flag, but this _is_ more exciting, is it not? Learning magic is one of the best things you could do in life. And besides, time is running rather short. You'll have to be in England soon, but do bid your time. There's no need to rush into a decision when you're there," Exitara said warningly. "And I must say, Annabeth, you're truly your mother's daughter-great tactics," She turned to Annabeth and smiled warmly, complimenting her. The result was a blushing Annabeth that nodded meekly, clearly flattered.

"Without further ado, let's begin our lessons. Wizards classify their lessons into charms, transfiguration and defense spells. We'll be heading to my home in the Underworld now." She grabbed hold of their arms once again, and she allowed them to travel through a manner that wizards normally employed-apparition.

The squeezing feeling in Percy's gut immediately made him groan internally. Magical travel really sucked.

Exitara released his arm as he looked at his new surroundings-he was in an alcove used as a The room's colour scheme was similar to his cabin's-it had abalone brown walls and sand colored (and textured) floors and the furniture within the room was made of dark colored woods. It was complete with a chest of drawers, a mirror, a sea-green couch and bed.

The only thing in that alcove that wasn't usually found in a bedroom was the black aspis shield on the wall and the half-closed box of weapons. It contained a ridiculous amount of weapons inside. He identified a foil, two morning stars, a Chinese butterfly sword… it also held many others that he couldn't recognize. The box made it seem as if the room was tidied up hastily-the weapons needing packed away but the owner of them not knowing what to do with the box.

Percy looked at the furniture once more and notices they were well polished. He couldn't even spot any dust covering anything in the room. Either the Underworld didn't have any dust, or everything in the room _was _new. Maybe he was right on both counts.

Then Exitara's voice rang out, as if through a speaker on the walls. "Hello, my guests! Please make yourself comfortable in your rooms! I'll be in to collect the boxes, try not to touch them! There is some dangerous stuff in there that you won't want to touch! I mean, I think there's a soul-reaping dagger in one of your rooms! I apologize in advance for not taking them earlier; Hermes wasn't ready to take the weapons to a safer place before 11 o'clock! If you find that you need anything, please feel free to ring the bell at the curtains. House elves would serve you, and they're a wizard thing, so don't panic if you see this thing with large droopy ears walking around, pestering you on how they should serve you. I'd also suggest that you sleep right now so I can train you for the next few weeks! Goodnight!"

Percy listened in silence for the duration of the entire announcement. As it ended, he shrugged. He supposed he should just listen to whatever she said. He knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do-sleeping in foreign territory without exploring it first, but he didn't feel any unease at all. Thalia and Nico trusted this Exitara perfectly, did they not? And besides, he was exhausted… and the bed looked ever so welcoming…

* * *

"What's the situation with the others?" Nico inquired as he felt Exitara approach him. He realizes that Exitara's magic had heightened his demigod senses, and since her magic flowed in him, he could make out her presence even more easily than he could anyone else.

"I've brought them to my home in the Underworld. I'll be coaching them on their new abilities for a few weeks. For you, I've imparted much knowledge of wizards into your head, so you don't have to be trained," Exitara responded, slightly miffed by the fact that she couldn't sneak up on Nico di Angelo anymore.

"Who are the other two companions that you've gotten for Percy?"

"How did you know there were going to be three of them?" At Nico's raise of eyebrows at her, she frowned. "Did I mention this beforehand? Or maybe it's because 'three' is a special number? Fine, I'll tell you. It'll be Thalia and Annabeth. Annabeth for her brains and logic, plus the fact that she'll keep Percy from doing stupid things. Thalia because Artemis wants her along, and the fact that she's a good fighter with the appropriate amount of adaptability," she looked at Nico carefully as Nico made a face at the mention of Artemis' hunter.

"Thalia? But she's even more unpredictable than Percy! And she doesn't like me particularly much either. What if we screw up simply because Thalia and I can't keep ourselves from killing each other?" Nico groaned before adding hastily, "Not that I'm questioning Lady Artemis' decision, but Thalia wouldn't be able to work with me."

"Both of you won't even have to see each other," Exitara cocked an eyebrow at him, copying Nico's earlier action. "But you _know _she isn't important at the present moment. You have to start on your mission now."

"Yes madam," He quipped dutifully, ignoring her grimace at being called 'madam'. "You want me to arrange something with Thanatos, yes?" He paused for a moment, hesitating. "May I ask you something? Why did you choose me? Couldn't you have completed the job by yourself?"

She scowled at him, shaking her head. "You are Hades' kid, so it's your job to abate your father's anger. I'm not allowed to interfere too much in the affairs of the wizarding world. It'd be unfair if I just marched up to Vo-dee-mor-tee and stabbed him in his gut. It's under the rules and regulations of being Hecate's companion really. And I'm not able to be out of the Underworld if the sun is shining anyway. After staying in the Underworld for so long, my skin isn't too different from a vampire's."

He snorted when Exitara didn't use Voldemort's name, and instead split the syllables up in such an absurd manner. If Voldemort heard how she pronounced his name, he might just try to find a way to kill the immortal companion of Hecate.

"Do me a favor, would you Exitara? Bring me to Thanatos."


	4. Meeting Malfoy

**Chapter 4: Meeting Malfoy**

Thanatos' words kept ringing in Nico's mind even as he sat in one of the guestrooms in the Leaky Cauldron.

_"Such a request would require a great sacrifice. Think about it, Son of Death. I cannot let someone fake her death so easily."_

Earlier, Exitara had changed her white hair into a common shade of chestnut brown before checking him into this place. He was appalled by the state of the pub downstairs-the dingy pub was dark (which had been fine by him), but the evidence of drinking lay about the place. Grub covered the counters, spilled drink splattered over the tables and scraps of food lay about the floor.

Nico had been disgusted by his surroundings, but he had chosen not to comment on it. He was baffled by the fact that the best known entrance from the 'Muggle' world into the Wizarding world was in such an awful condition. He wondered briefly why that was so-was it because the bar's owner, Tom, was so old? Or maybe Voldemort didn't particularly want this 'entrance' to keep up a good appearance?

Nico believed his second guess would be more accurate-the glasses at the bar seemed perfectly clean. He had seen Tom sitting behind the bar polishing the glasses with a clean cloth. Nico supposed that no senile old man would use a clean cloth to clean anything. And by the sad look in Tom's eyes, the man had seen the pub in better days. Nico wondered how the Leaky Cauldron had been like before the war reduced it to filth and grime, its only patrons being those who wanted a place to discuss a devious plan. Had it been a busy place where witches and wizards merrily converged in to share a drink?

Nico closed his eyes as he lay on the bed in the dark room. At least his room was clean. In fact, it was rather comfortable to stay in. He contemplated his dealing with Thanatos as he thought about the sketchy plan in his head. Would he be able to find the perfect sacrifice for him when all this was over?

Nico didn't want to make Draco Malfoy a promise he couldn't keep. He had to make sure he'd be able to find something by the end of this. Nico's fatal flaw was that he kept grudges. On the other hand, Nico would never break a solemn promise he made to someone. Hades had taught him to honor vows.

_"Dealing with Death, eh? You might be the Son of Death, but that might not be the wisest decision you've made in your life. Do you have what it takes, Mr. di Angelo?"_

Nico shuddered as he thought through Thanatos' _he_ be able to do it? He was no hero. He didn't know the answer to that particular question. And he knew he had to make the decision soon. Time was ticking.

He groaned, maybe he could think about this later. He was exhausted-at least the time difference between New York and London wasn't too bad… A mere five hours wouldn't kill him. He supposed he was rightfully tired-it was now 2 o'clock back in New York. His little meeting with Thanatos had lasted longer than expected.

But Nico knew he wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.

* * *

Nico dusted himself delicately after landing in front of a large expanse of grassland by apparition. He had simply apparated, thinking of a target destination that would be close to Draco Malfoy's current hideout. He wanted to attempt apparition by himself, without Exitara's help. By the looks of it, he succeeded with 'splinching' himself-the word she had used as she cautioned him about the day before.

Anyway, apparition was a lot less tiring than shadow travelling. Long distance shadow travel could take a lot out of him, since it'd tap directly on his energy. Apparition used his magic, and so far he seemed to have no limits to it.

The delightful singing of the birds on the lone tree a few feet away from him did not concord with his current mood at all. He was in no way near a feeling of calmness or peace. In fact, his mood was exceedingly turbulent as he considered the possibilities of failing. Even if Exitara had said that he wouldn't fail, he still was unsure of himself. But he couldn't exactly stop now, could he?

Nico sighed as he concentrated deeply, pausing a moment to breathe in the fresh morning air before he let the shadows take him to his destination. The air was crisp, clean and warm. It'd be a rather perfect late spring morning if he wasn't so nervous.

He appeared in front of a quaint cottage in front of a forest. When Exitara had told him where the youngest Malfoy was hiding, he had been rather surprised. He found it odd that the older boy would choose to hide in a small cottage. Nico knew that Draco Malfoy was all too accustomed with finery and all things aristocratic. He was even more bewildered by the fact that the Malfoy heir owned a cottage that a 'commoner' could own.

He only hoped that this Draco Malfoy wouldn't hex him on sight into oblivion, Hades wouldn't like that. Nico didn't exactly want Draco Malfoy to have the Kindly Ones for company for the rest of his life simply because he was trying to defend himself from a stranger. For all Draco Malfoy knew, his 'Dark Lord' had somehow located him and broke through all the wards that led to his hideout and was coming to hunt him down.

Nico strolled to the door, holding himself with an air of false confidence. He knocked on the door gently for a while, before turning the raps to more urgent ones. He pulled at his black shirt. He didn't fancy shadow travelling in-that'd increase the chances of Draco Malfoy killing him on sight.

"Please, open up! I know you're inside Malfoy," Nico wasn't exactly sure what he should call the boy he had been stalking for a little while now. While Exitara told him about the wizarding world, she had also told him about its occupants. Of which Draco Malfoy had been mentioned. Nico was intrigued with him, a coward who couldn't do anything to stop others from being tortured; a guy who was too scared to kill his Headmaster. But he was a guy who simply had enough of a heart not to do so.

"I know you don't know who I am, and I suppose it'd be dumb for you to open the door to a complete stranger, but I'm not here to hurt you, really," Nico continued, staring intently at the teakwood colored door that reminded him all too much of Thanatos' skin. He was practically willing the door to open by now.

"My name is Nico di Angelo, I'm from America. I'm here to help you-" Nico didn't finish his sentence before the door swung open, a wand suddenly pressed all too tightly to his trachea. Nico gulped for a moment as he closed his eyes. The wizarding world still felt to surreal-he could hardly believe that the wand now pressed to his throat would be able to finish him off with the chant of two words.

He opened his black eyes to look into the grey ones of Draco Malfoy. The sterling grey eyes stared back at him with a wild sort of fear, betraying his frenzied panic. The boy's silver blonde hair was slightly disheveled, as if he had been tugging at it all too often. Even his robes were tattered, slightly burnt at the edges. In fact, Nico could still make out the faint smell of burnt cloth through the metallic stench of dried blood.

"Who are you?" He demanded, his voice hoarse- as if he hadn't used it for days. He did not remove his wand from Nico's neck, even if he did see that his unexpected visitor appeared to be a boy a few years younger than he was.

"I told you already, I'm Nico di Angelo," Nico grimaced slightly as he noticed the encrusted blood beneath Draco's fingers. His fingernails appeared to be well buffed, as if he did manicures. The only issue was the amount of blood that covered them. Did Draco Malfoy not clean his hands? Were European aristocrats different from the rich in America? Rachel Elizabeth Dare had known what 'personal hygiene' was.

Draco still didn't relax. "I heard you the first time. But who are you really? You couldn't have broken through the wards…" His eyes suddenly widened. "The wards are still intact… how-?" Disbelief was evident in his voice, as well as an unhealthy amount of fear.

"Care to display some manners of yours, rich boy? I believe that the British do invite guests into their home?" Nico grumbled, the tension in the air easing slightly. "I'll tell you everything inside, I'm alone."

"Are you going to try anything?"

"You think I'll try anything?" Nico scoffed at that notion. "If I wanted to harm you, I'd have blasted the door down without announcing my arrival. You'd be so stunned at my presence you won't have noticed even if I tried to killed you. No, I'm not going to harm you so would you please trust me?" Nico said the last bit forcefully, he didn't really want to spend too long on these 'pleasantries', even if it was anything but a pleasant greeting.

Draco let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose I should, damn my upbringing," he muttered the last bit. But Draco knew that it wasn't his upbringing that was making him invite the pale, dark haired boy in. Manners were one thing, but he somehow felt that the boy wasn't lying to him. Anyhow, Draco barely believed in his upbringing anymore, it having brought him nothing but trouble as of late. Slightly unwillingly, he stepped to the side to let Nico into the cottage.

Nico nodded at him formally, relief rushing through him. So far so good. He was still alive, after all. He walked into the cottage in a calm manner, taking notes of his surroundings.

It looked just like any other cottage one would find, maybe with a bit more fineries, but his overall verdict was that it was a rather harmless place. No booby traps or dark magic that could be sprung on him at a moment's notice.

He was slightly amused by the floral tablecloth though. Nico would bet anything that Draco's mother had put it there, and insisted that it stay. Persephone might get on well with the woman if Narcissa did like flowers. Narcissa Malfoy might just enjoy her time playing dead.

Draco closed the door behind him before he sat on one of the dark green couches, gesturing for Nico to take a seat as well. "So, Mr. di Angelo, what brings you to England?" He had noticed that Nico had an American accent, even if it was tinged with a slightly foreign lilt to the American-ess of it.

"You're Draco Lucian Malfoy," Nico began after a moment's silence. "Son of Narcissa Vega Malfoy." Draco raised his pale eyebrow, surprised and feeling uncomfortable at the mention of his full name, as well as of his mother. He shifted uneasily from where he sat. Maybe he shouldn't have let the boy in after all…

Nico chose to ignore Draco's agitation at the mention of his mother. He found it understandable that Draco would react this way, his mother _had_ compromised Draco's safety, even if she did lie to Voldemort to see Draco again.

"I know what happened at the Battle of Hogwarts three days ago, your mother lied. And now all you Malfoy's are in huge trouble because of it. You can't hide forever you know. But I can help you get out of your sticky situation. I have a plan to propose to you. One that will allow you to save your skin, and defeat the Dark Lord eventually."

Nico glowered at having to call Voldemort the 'Dark Lord', but he supposed it would have to do, for now. He would make up some ridiculous nickname for him with Draco when he had the chance. _If_ the two would get to a friendlier relationship, that is.

Draco's brows furrowed but he said, "Go on." He looked at Nico expectantly.

"But it'll be coming at a price. You'll have to kill your mother-"

"What? No!" Draco leapt to his feet, exploding. "I'd rather die than kill mother! I can't even kill Dumbledore, much less my mother!"

Nico glared at him, and Draco stepped backwards, slightly intimidated by Nico. He didn't know why he was scared of the younger boy though. But Nico knew perfectly that his own aura of fear and death was radiating through the air around him. Draco didn't know about it to be able to resist the fear Nico radiated.

"Calm down, Draco. Would you mind terribly if I call you Draco? You could call me Nico, if you like. As I was saying, you'd have to kill your mother. However, I have… certain powers over death. Your mother's death would be faked, she would die, but not truly be dead. She'll be able to return to the world of living when we're through with my plan, and it'd be 'our' plan if you agree to it as well," Nico regarded Draco evenly, and Draco sat down, sighing heavily once more. His breathing was slightly ragged, his grey eyes looking even wilder than before.

"Explain," He muttered, looking down into his lap so Nico couldn't read his expression.

"Swear on the River Styx that whatever I tell you-you wouldn't breathe any of it to another soul," Nico said quickly. "And I shall tell you now that swearing on the Styx is unbreakable. Break the oath and you shall suffer the dire consequences."

Secretly, Nico wasn't sure what the Styx would do to Draco, a human who was almost completely unrelated to the world of the gods, should he broke a vow on the Styx. Draco, with all his 'pureblood' beliefs, was simply another human. Another descendant of a failure. Nico wondered what Draco would think if he knew of that fact as well.

"Alright then," Draco conceded, thinking that he couldn't lose anything anyhow. "I swear that I would not reveal anything pertaining to this conversation to anyone, I swear this on the River Styx."

Nico nodded at him, smiling slightly. Things were picking up, and he no longer had the need to place his hands near the pocket that contained his Stygian iron wand, or the belt that held the Stygian iron sword.

"I'm the son of Hades, the Lord of the Underworld. You might know this, you might not, but Hades is a Greek god. I'm a demigod, you wizards aren't the only special things ever to exist on the face of the earth. There are far more creatures and worlds you would never imagine out there. Your wizarding world is actually… closely related to one of our gods, Hecate, but that'd a story for another time."

Nico said it easily, choosing to let Draco know the truth. He'd rather not lie. Telling a lie would lead to many more lies. He was a good liar, but he didn't want the stress of lying all the time. No, the truth was really a much simpler option.

"After my mother dies, your father would simply let you waltz into the Underworld and take my mother out? I apologize, but I'd like to think that you wouldn't be able to do that. It sounds unfair if you, a Son of Hades, would be able to do something like that. I know… I don't know anything about your world, but in my world, the veil between life and death is a delicate one. But that veil would not be easily trespassed," Draco responded calmly.

"I would however, be inclined to believe that your world does exist. You do have a strange looking wand, and... you got to my cottage without breaking my wards. There's got to be something about your powers that would allow you to do so."

Nico smiled, appeased by Draco's response to his announcement. Draco was smarter than what anyone gave him credit for. He caught on quickly.

"I don't waltz, or dance for that matter. But to be honest, I'm not sure whether I can pull this off. I'm making a deal with Death, Thanatos. With… the right sacrifice, I'd be able to bring your mother back," Nico explained, deciding to let the cat out of the bag about Thanatos. Draco deserved to know all the facts. He was after all, making use of the older boy.

"So, my mother… she might be able to return even if I… killed her?" Draco checked hesitantly. "Would you promise to try? I'm thinking right now, and I can't see any reason to refuse your plan if it would help bring down the Dark Lord. He's devastated my family and my money," Draco grumbled. The Manor would need a lot of repairing after Voldemort was gone.

Draco sighed again for the third time since meeting Nico. "Mother would want this… she'd die to bring down the Dark Lord. Mother wouldn't mind dying for a greater cause. People like Potter might think that she's a cold-hearted, chauvinistic, Muggle-hating woman that adored the Dark Lord, but mother never particularly liked the Dark Lord. She saw him to be a murderer of his own kind, killing anyone who opposed him and all.

"And mother… she _had_ lied to save Potter, even if it was for me. When she did that… She would have wanted to see the Dark Lord die, not live. I think she would wish for the Dark Lord to die, the sooner the better."

Draco finished his short speech with a flourish of hands, his face appearing downcast. Even if Narcissa wanted it, even if she had a chance of coming back-the idea of having to kill the mother that loved him was at best, a daunting prospect. His feelings were stashed deep within him, but he knew he was going to be torn apart about this decision.

Nico looked at Draco curiously, before speaking in an accusatory tone, "You've been thinking about killing your mother before I came. You've thought about this before, haven't you?"

Draco shrugged, not looking into Nico's eyes. "Yes, I have…" He admitted quietly. "I'm sorry I got so riled up at you earlier." He sounded as if he was trying to swallow bile when he apologized, and Nico was tickled by that possibility. "Before mother and father left for the Chateau in Provence... she had told me she wanted the Dark Lord dead." He then tugged at his hair again, revealing some sort of conflicting emotion on his face. "Why am I telling you all this… Nico?"

"Because you trust me," Nico replied in a matter-of-factly manner. "And you have no choice. You need to follow through with my plan." Actually, Nico wasn't sure what his plan was. He was planning to go with the flow of events-seeing as he couldn't predict the future. He did have a vague idea of what he should be doing, but he wasn't confident they'd be able to pull it off.

Draco tugged at his hair again, "I'm not sure whether I'd be able to kill mother though. Even if it would get me back my position with the Dark Lord, or keep my life for that matter. I'm not a killer." He said the last part so softly, that if Nico wasn't listening so intently, he'd never have caught it.

Nico tried for a chortle to diffuse the tension. "Stop tugging at your hair. At this rate, you'll go bald if you continue pulling that platinum stuff out. So, you're going to follow through with my plan?"

Draco gave another sigh, and Nico counted this as the fourth sigh. "Yes, I will. It'd be better than the alternative, not having you to give me some assurance that my mother might still be alive."

Nico leaned forward, eying Draco carefully. "Why are you so willing to trust me? Or even believe that I'll be able to help you? How are you actually taking in the fact that I'm the son of Hades?"

Draco chuckled humorlessly. "You've got quite a few questions there. I'll have to believe that you're going to help me, right? I don't really have a choice here. I want the Dark Lord to perish just as much as Potter wants it. You know I've been thinking since the Battle of Hogwarts, and I think that I'd lose more if the Dark Lord wins the war, not the other way round. He'd really be better off dead… someone who can't die from an Avada Kadavra… should really be dead. How did he manage it-wait, never mind, answer that question later.

"As to you being the son of Hades, not everyone would declare that with such ease and confidence. You genuinely believe that you're telling the truth, aren't you? Unless you're really bonkers, it's the truth. And I'll believe you. Many things that should never have happened did happen at the Battle anyway. For instance, I didn't kill Potter on sight. I'll probably accept anything you throw at me right now, my mind's probably not in the sanest condition, worrying about everything that's gonna happen because of my family switching sides at the last minute."

Nico held his hand out, "Okay, so you're going to work with me? Shake hands on this."

Draco cocked his eyebrow at Nico again. "Shaking hands? Demigods do this?"

"Americans do this. And I have a feeling that wizards shake hands as well," Nico returned, smiling at Draco Malfoy.

The Malfoy in question shrugged simply as he got to his feet and clasped Nico's hand tightly. "Fine, I don't have much of an option, do I? Fill me in on the plan. My guess is that I go to the Dark Lord with mother and kill her as I swear my allegiance to the Dark Lord, and rise in ranks? How will that help us kill the Dark Lord?"

"Good guess," Nico laughed as they shook their hands, feeling elated that their meeting was turning out so well. "It's easier said than done. So, what do you know about Horcruxes?"

* * *

**A/N: At the guest review of Exitara being some type of Mary-Sue, well. She's not going to appear much for the rest of the story anyway so does it really matter? The only role she might ever play is that she's the messenger for Hecate. That's it. So I'd be lazy and barely develop her character properly. And for the followers-Thanks again for following ^.^ I'll probably not update for another week or so since I'll be going to Hong Kong (And my damned exams are coming up soon and I'm almost sure I'll fail AMath)**

**-CanusFalcon-**


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